Bloomington Gold 2011 - Fairway Fliers

Bloomington Gold 2011 tees off at Pheasant Run.

One of the top summer Corvette events is the Bloomington Gold Corvette show, held each year at the Pheasant Run Resort in Saint Charles, Illinois. Thanks to our friends at Chevrolet, we arrived at the event in style, in the form of an '11 Supersonic Blue Grand Sport convertible equipped with a six-speed manual trans. Parking at the show is no problem for Corvette owners, as a large portion of the resort's 18-hole golf course is dedicated to Vettes-only parking. Attendees drove Corvette models from almost every year of production, and many were in "as new" condition.

After touring the parking area, we moved over to the Survivor section and closely inspected these unrestored Corvettes. After that, we visited the large vendor areas that make up the GoldMarket and GoldMine exhibits. Here you will find cars for sale by their owners, along with Corvette parts that range from complete frames to hard-to-find vintage lug nuts. This is a great place to shop if you're restoring your car or just need to keep it fresh with new parts.

After completing our tour of the for-sale and vendor areas, we headed to the Great Hall. This is where the crþme de la crþme of the Corvette world can be found. Upon walking into the hall, the first thing we spotted was a "barn find" black '57 fuelie on display. The car had been in storage in Rochelle, Illinois, since 1978, after the owner lost interest in it. Attendees were asked to fill out a survey and share their opinion on what should be done with this clearly neglected Corvette. A total of 30 percent said it should it be left alone, unwashed; 45 percent said to leave it alone but clean it thoroughly; 12 percent wanted to make it a driver; and 12 percent recommended restoring it to Gold Certification standards.

The Great Hall began in 2010, for the purpose of paying tribute each year to 10 people who have made positive contributions to the hobby. In addition, 10 Corvettes are selected based on their styling, performance, and historic significance. The 2011 Great Hall Corvettes on display included a '55 V-8 car, the '56 SR-2 racer, the '60 Le Mans racer, the '60 Route 66 TV car, the '63 Harley Earl Corvette, a '65 396/425 hp car, a '67 L88 racer, a '69 ZL1 coupe, a '71 ZR2 big-block, and a '78 Indy Pace Car.

An induction ceremony was held in front of a large crowd as each Great Hall honoree was recognized. Owners of the exhibited Corvettes, meanwhile, received a certificate and a large medal to commemorate their car's induction. Each car was displayed in a well-lighted area with an accompanying write-up describing its significance.

After drooling over these breathtaking Corvettes, we headed over to the Certification area. Here, Bloomington judges carefully inspect each prospective Survivor, Gold, and Gold Benchmark car to determine if it qualifies for these highly sought-after designations. A Survivor certification documents that the car is unrestored and meets these requirements:

Is more than 20 years old

Can pass a 20-mile road test

Remains more than 50 percent unrestored, unrefinished, and unaltered

Retains finishes well enough to serve as a color guide for the restoration of a car just like it

Additionally, judges inspect four components: Exterior, Interior, Underhood, and Chassis. Cars must pass at least three of these four categories to become Survivor certified. A total of 36 Corvettes received their Survivor certification at this year's show, with model years ranging from 1956 to 1991.

Sixty-nine Corvettes were Gold certified at this year's show. Gold certified means a Corvette has been "preserved in" or "restored to" within 95 percent of the way it appeared when it left the factory. The idea is for the car to display historic, as opposed to cosmetic, perfection. Typically, this recognition is much more difficult to attain.

The most prestigious Bloomington Award is Gold Benchmark--the highest recognition for an unrestored Corvette. Introduced in 1991, this designation requires that a car be Gold certified and excel in all four categories of Survivor evaluation during the same judging weekend. This year 11 cars were selected for this honor.

All too soon it was time to climb back into our Grand Sport and bid farewell to this year's Bloomington Gold event. If you're in the Chicago area next June 21-24, consider stopping by Saint Charles to enjoy all the Corvette-themed excitement--and be sure to bring your own Vette along with you.

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Bloomington Gold 2011 - Fairway Fliers

01

01 We arrived at the Pheasant Run Resort in Saint Charles, Illinois, about 40 miles west of Chicago. Our six-speed Grand Sport convertible qualified for a free Corvette-only parking spot.

02 Hundreds of Corvettes are parked throughout the Pheasant Run golf course. You can spend hours just strolling the 18 holes, checking out everyone's rides.

03 Hundreds of Corvettes are parked throughout the Pheasant Run golf course. You can spend hours just strolling the 18 holes, checking out everyone's rides.

04 This '57 fuelie was recently found stored in an actual barn. This rare and historic Corvette was displayed at the entrance of the Great Hall exhibit.

05 The car's unrestored 283ci fuelie is in sad shape. However, the condition of this engine is a documentation goldmine for a Corvette restorer.

06 Three SR-2 (Sebring Racer) Corvettes were built in 1956 by GM Styling in Warren, Michigan. This car (#2522) was the first one built for Jerry Earl, the son of GM styling executive Harley Earl. Jerry, Dr. Dick Thompson, and Jim Jeffords raced it extensively. It was displayed in the Great Hall and is currently owned by Rich Mason.

07 Two significant Corvettes sit side-by-side in the Great Hall. The black '67 was the first factory L88 produced and was driven to multiple victories by Tony DeLorenzo Jr. Chuck Ungerean now owns it. The yellow '69 is fitted with a ZL1 aluminum big-block and was purchased new by St. Louis Corvette plant engineer George Hiberling for "evaluation" purposes. Roger Judski now owns this ultrarare car.

08 Each year 10 people and 10 Corvettes are honored in the Great Hall for their contribution to Corvette history. These 2011 inductees were recognized at a ceremony held on Friday.

10 This radical '63 split-window gasser (a former VETTE feature car) was on display at the D&M Specialties exhibit in the GoldMine area. Bet it does great wheelstands! 11

11 We also found this '69 convertible for sale in the GoldMine section. It's equipped with factory side pipes, an F-41 suspension, and both tops. The asking price was $20,000 or best offer.

12 A closer inspection unveiled the car's unusual powerplant: a 1960 348 taken from a wrecked Impala. The previous owner installed this engine after destroying the original small-block during a race. The car now has 57,000 miles on its clock.

13 Another Gold Mine find was this '06 Le Mans Blue Z06 with only 6,000 original miles on the clock. The owner was asking $40,000 for this very clean Corvette.

14 The vendor/exhibit area, called the GoldMarket, was filled with a wide variety of Vette-parts sellers, including Smart Parts from Mason City, Illinois.

15 This very rough "Mystery Racer" '57 (VIN 1165) was on display in the hopes someone might shed some light on its history.

16 We stumbled on this very clean '71 in the vendor area. Could that be a Buick logo on the underside of the hood?

17 Yep, this C3 is powered by a 274ci turbocharged-and-intercooled V-6 from a Buick Grand National. The owner told us it's street driven and turns low 10s in the quarter on weekends!

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